Saturday Archives: Neptune in Libra’s Romantic Expectations

With all the planets in Neptune ruled Pisces at this time, I decided to pull out this post on growing up with a natal Neptune in relationship oriented Libra.

During the time Pluto was in Leo, Neptune was in Libra from 1942 until 1957, approximately fifteen years and the most quintessential Boomer years. Being born fairly early in that cycle when Saturn in Leo conjoined Pluto, I have observed this generation from the inside and we are a mixed bag – especially when it comes to romantic ideals.

As most people who have read my blog know I am not a fan of romance with a capital ‘R’ and the reason I’m not is due to my own experiences living with a Moon conjunct Neptune in Libra. Neptune’s natural inclination to romanticize is exacerbated by being in Libra. I wasted more time and energy on men who had amazing potential – unmanifested but amazing. Many of them had major problems with drugs and alcohol, sometimes related to PTSD from crawling through the jungles of Vietnam. I was so convinced I could “rescue” them and we could live happily ever after. WRONG!

I believe I owe my recovery from an addiction to romance to Saturn because it was my first Saturn return when the illusions started coming apart and reality came crashing in. My Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Leo is sextile my Moon-Neptune, giving Saturn an opening to work with. Unlike others of my generation who managed to return to a blissful state of denial after their Saturn returns, I also had a Pluto transit conjoining my Moon at the same time and the combination stomped on expectations hard.

An alcohol and drug counselor introduced me to the concept of co-dependency and reading Anne Wilson Schaef’s books, “When Society Becomes an Addict” and “Women’s Reality” furthered my education. I was able to spot my mother’s co-dependent behavior patterns showing up in mine and in true Plutonian fashion, excise them slowly over time. Donna Cunningham’s gem of a book, “An Astrological Guide to Self-Awareness” opened my eyes to the astrology of what was going on and gave me some simple but effective tools to use in this process.

What didn’t help was growing up reading romance novels. Because while the prototype for today’s romance novels has been around for a long, long time, it took Neptune moving into Libra sextile Pluto in dramatic Leo to turn this genre into the multimillion dollar business it is today. Neptune in Libra folks grew up reading these, convinced we had a soul mate out there somewhere who would sweep in and rescue us from our boring mundane lives. Sad to say, there are plenty of wonderful, kind men and women who were passed over because of the expectations raised by this genre.

One other thing . . . I consider myself very, very fortunate to have managed to come across the right information at the right time which I attribute to a strong twelfth house chart with Jupiter in Scorpio conjoining my Libra Sun-Chiron. This gives me some ability to navigate through Neptune’s illusions, pretty as they are. Pluto transits taught me lessons on the realization all change must come from within.

I am a firm believer in love and the wonderful changes loving another can make in us. Treating ourselves in a loving manner is one of the keys to being able to genuinely care for others too. It is just the nebulous concept of Romantic Love that leaves me cold. The upside of Neptune is the ability to feel compassion and take a genuine interest in other people’s comfort and well being – no small thing. Neptune is marvelous source of inspiration but it sure helps to have Saturn backing him up!